Daily NCAA Compliance Tips from Jen Condaras

Ocean State University (OSU) is opening up its football season on the road this weekend. Two of the student-athletes on the team transferred to OSU this fall and therefore must serve a year in residency before being eligible to compete. The coaches would really like these two student-athletes to travel with the team, so they decide to make them team managers. Is that permissible?

No. NCAA Staff Interpretation- 8/5/87- Redshirt serving as team manager and traveling with the team– states that a member institution asked whether a transfer student who is serving a residence requirement could serve as the team manager, and thus be permitted to receive expenses to travel with the team. The staff concluded that this would not be permissible, inasmuch as Constitution 3-1-(g)-(2)-(iii) indicates that a student-athlete who is not eligible to compete may not receive expenses to travel with the team. The staff noted, however, that this legislation does not preclude an “intentional redshirt” from traveling with the team, inasmuch as a “redshirt” is technically eligible to compete.